Delegates at the upcoming ICCA Association Meetings Programme 2019, taking place in Durban, South Africa from 18-20 June, are set to collaborate to drive value and impact through international association meetings, as ICCA reveals the theme of the event as “Inspiration to go further”.

Influenced by Durban’s entrepreneurial spirit and guiding all aspects of the core education programme, the theme has been chosen to communicate the AMP’s aim of providing all delegates with, through personalised ROI, the tools and expertise to be more effective in winning association meetings business.

The AMP is designed to bring ICCA Members and Association Executives from all over the world together for open exchange through small-scale networking and interactive global knowledge transfer about bidding, designing, organising and promoting international association meetings.

“Inspiration to go further”

ICCA Interim CEO Dennis Speet said: “The AMP host destination for 2019, Durban, is full of stories of people who, driven by their own knowledge and passion, have used their local heritage and traditions as inspiration to help them reach great heights in their chosen profession.

We urge all delegates to bring their burning challenges to the ICCA AMP and join our education programme, which will embody what Durban is all about: inspiration to go further! Each session will not only arm delegates with new tools, ideas and knowledge, but will be full of stories from our speakers and fellow participants that will inspire all attendees to use their newfound expertise to tackle their own challenges and be more successful in winning association meetings business.”

Focused on providing solutions to participants’ most pressing questions through a variety of mediums, education sessions will take an interactive, practical approach to knowledge transfer. Topics will include:

The future of associations

Legacy of events

The do’s and don’ts of international collaboration and partnerships

Reinventing digital marketing strategy

Experiential meeting design

Popular sessions from previous editions will also be returning. The “A challenge shared/A challenge solved” session will encourage the associations and ICCA Members in attendance to brainstorm answers using their international expertise. During the Business Exchange, member delegates will do what they do best: share information and tacit knowledge on future association meeting business leads.

Global faculty with world-class knowledge

Delegates at the AMP will have access to the association meetings expertise of a global faculty, made up of senior-level figures from both supplier organisations and international associations.

ICCA Board Member Gregg Talley is confirmed to be joining the programme as a Faculty Leader. Talley has over 30 years of association management experience and is a key supporter of the African association meetings industry, helping to launch the African Society of Association Executives, among other initiatives. Genevieve Leclerc, Managing Director of the International Society of Limnology, also joins as Faculty Leader. Leclerc, who runs her own association consultancy and strategic planning firm Caravelle Strategies in addition to her work as an association executive, has over 25 years of experience in congress and association management.

ICCA’s increasing support for Africa

ICCA is increasing its advocacy and educational activities in the African region throughout 2019. This year’s edition of the AMP marks the first time the event is being held in the African region and the first time ICCA is returning with an international meeting since the 43rd ICCA Congress in Cape Town in 2004.

For international meeting suppliers on the African continent, the AMP provides the ideal opportunity for them to deepen their market knowledge and increase their global market share of this fast-growing industry, whilst learning from their industry colleagues from across the world. In turn, international visitors will be able to experience Africa’s growing range of business events services.

Mr. Sihle Zikalala, MEC for Economic Development, Tourism & Environmental Affairs, KwaZulu-Natal, said: “Hosting the ICCA AMP 2019 and the high-level association executives in our beautiful city of Durban will have an enormous impact on business tourism in South Africa and KwaZulu-Natal. In particular, it will develop the potential for year-round tourism sustainability, tackling seasonality and occupancy, improving the overall national economy and building a recognisably positive image of our province and city.”

The AMP follows the first edition of the ICCA Meetings Africa Association Day, the education and networking seminar for ICCA Members and Association Executives hosted by Meetings Africa as part of the BONDAY programme, which was held on Monday 25 February.

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